Hybrid Horsepower: 8 High-Performance PHEV Cars and Concepts

"Hybrid" is not a label sports car fans have typically embraced—hybrids may be fuel efficient and smart, but they're not exactly known for delivering that organic, thrilling rush you'd get from, say, a Porsche 911 or Chevy Corvette. There's a new breed of electrified performance machines arriving on the scene, however, including everyday sporty hatchbacks and more-exclusive-than-exclusive hypercars. These are some of the best hybrid sports car options on the market right now, and some that we might see in the near future.

Honda CR-Z

Honda CR-Z

Price: $19,545–$22,905Fuel Economy: 35/39

The CR-Z was designed as the modern successor to the beloved CRX hatchbacks from the 1980s. The Honda CRX was small, efficient, and remarkably fun to drive. Even the top-performing Si models weighed well under 2000 pounds, so it was like a practical and reliable go-kart. That means the latest two-door Honda, the CR-Z, has big little shoes to fill.

If we're honest, it may not match the original in all measures of fun. But the CR-Z is one of the only inexpensive sports hybrids on the market right now. And its hybrid system has been designed to accentuate low-end torque, which gives reasonably good fuel economy numbers and also to delivers that off-the-line punch we American drivers love. Normal, Econ, and Sport modes are available to the driver. With its affordability and fun factor (especially when equipped with the six-speed manual transmission), the CR-Z is a great advance for the everyman who wants an affordable hybrid sports car

Fisker Karma

Fisker Karma

Price: $95,900Fuel Economy: 52 (mpge)

It takes a bold design to steal the spotlight from the Big Three at the Detroit Auto Show. But that's what happened when the Fisker Karma Concept showed up in 2008. With its plug-in range-extended electric-hybrid powertrain, the Karma seemed less a step forward and more a leap ahead of everyone else's luxury cars. That beautiful design hasn't changed much in the years since, and after quite a few delays and setbacks, Fisker began delivering production Karmas to the buying public in late 2011.

The Karma is a hybrid, but it always operates as an electric car—the gas engine never directly powers the wheels. In Stealth mode the electric motors are powered solely by the battery pack. But in Sport mode, those electric motors get a boost from the 255-hp turbocharged four-cylinder under the hood, which acts as a very powerful generator. Fisker says the Karma can hit 60 mph in just 5.8 seconds in Sport mode. Even the slower, all-electric Stealth mode gives the driver a whopping 959 lb-ft of torque from zero rpm. That's some serious eco-friendly grunt.

In short, the crew at Fisker has married current electric-car technology to a stunning design and very posh interior. Do what you can to see one up close; it's a stunner from every angle.